If you’ve got kids, a trip on the Skunk Train is a must. Originally a logging train through the redwoods and now a bit of a roadside attraction, the train runs from coastal Fort Bragg into the lush forest along the Noyo River, ultimately reaching Willits, inland on Highway 101. The open-topped cars are a treat on a warm day, even if the ride can feel a little long; the 3-1/2-hour roundtrip to Northspur (the half-way point to Willits) is plenty. Trains leave at 10am, and don't forget to make reservations.
Every time I take a ride on the Skunk I feel like I’m embarking on the Road to Terabithia – only minutes after pulling away from the station you’re trundling over old wooden trestle bridges, alongside a virgin estuary, and through old-growth redwood remnants of the mighty groves whose siren song brought people to the coast in the first place. Locals can go years without riding the rails, but the train remains a touchstone of the community – until a few years ago it still delivered mail to a remote community couched in the woods, and I can set my watch by the blast of the air whistle. They called it the Skunk because the gas engine locomotives announced themselves from miles away – locals used to say you could smell it before you could hear it. Thankfully, the newer diesel- and steam-powered engines bring the history without the odor, and a sunny day on the train is a highlight of any trip to Fort Bragg.
We couldn’t have picked a more perfect activity for a rainy day in Mendocino County. The powerful locomotive gleamed and sparkled with raindrops, the fire-engine-red in festive contrast to the deep lush green of the wooded surroundings. Each chug, each puff of plumed white steam that hovered under the overcast sky, each bridge and trestle crossed echoed strains from history, familiar and primordial. The conductor’s colorful narration brought alive the details of the first settlers’ story, the loggers whose sweat and blood consecrated the redwood forest, whose pioneering spirit, for better or for worse, still drives us today.
For a pleasant but noisy and smelly ride into the Redwood Forest Of California, along the northern coast of California, take a ride on the old Skunk Train out of Fort Bragg, CA.We boarded the Skunk train in Fort Bragg and took the three and half hour ride to Northspur. Along the track and into the woods, we followed a creek bed that the local people call Pudding Creek: the water is blueish green that seemed quiet and placid. After we rounded several turns and passed close to the side of a mountain, we entered a small tunnel. Going through the tunnel, we became blind--there was no light in the car for several minutes.After leaving the tunnel, we could go into the observation car--an open flatbed car with no seats only handrails. Here's where we got the feeling of being in the redwoods: the early morning dew hitting our faces with the smell of fresh pine.Because the forest was dense, gave you a feeling of being in among trees that have been alive for a long time. Animal tracks led down to the railroad tracks where people dropped food: Along these tracks, you could see where houses once stood and now are gone, just parts of the foundations are left.We stopped at Northspur, an area that is set aside as the half-way mark--here is where you could stretch your legs and buy souvenirs or have a bite to eat. We stayed in the area for an hour and then reloaded the train and headed back to Fort Bragg.If you want to spend a joyful several hours in the California Redwoods, then take the Skunk Train near Fort Bragg, California.
If you’ve got kids, a trip on the Skunk Train is a must. Originally a logging train through the redwoods and now a bit of a roadside attraction, the train runs from coastal Fort Bragg into the lush forest along the Noyo River, ultimately reaching Willits, inland on Highway 101. The open-topped cars are a treat on a warm day, even if the ride can feel a little long; the 3-1/2-hour roundtrip to Northspur (the half-way point to Willits) is plenty. Trains leave at 10am, and don't forget to make reservations.
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